Actor Trading Cards: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad: Flash Review

Before presenting the Actor Trading Cards for DC’s latest movie release, I feel the need to post a short review having seen the film over the weekend. Simply put… I LOVED IT! Suicide Squad is a delightful mash-up of chaos, driven by characters that you can’t help but like and root for even though, as you know, they’re the bad guys. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is exactly the kind of crazy everyone was hoping for, and Will Smith’s Deadshot is the most fun we’ve had watching Smith in years. The rest of the cast also does a fantastic job, and while the script takes the viewer on an unconventional roller coaster that includes quite a few “snap scenes” to fill in the background of its characters, it works because overall the film is a disorderly collaboration of joyful entertainment!

WILL SMITH as “DEADSHOT”

Born: September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, PA
Height: 6’2″

Personal Quote:

“Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.”

Acting Highlights:

Bad Boys (Mike Lowrey), Independence Day (Captain Steven Hiller), Men in Black (Jay), Ali (Muhammed Ali; Nominated Best Actor, Academy Awards), I, Robot (Del Spooner), The Pursuit of Happyness (Chris Gardner; Nominated Best Actor, Academy Awards), I Am Legend (Robert Neville)

SUMMARY:

It is so great seeing Will Smith back on the big screen doing what he does best = entertaining! Aside from a brief return to form in 2012’s Men in Black 3, Smith opted to lie low for several years, focusing on his children’s careers instead. In 2015 he began ramping up with a couple of decently received, but only minor hits in Focus (also starring Margot Robbie) and Concussion. Now it feels as though he’s truly back with his role as Deadshot (hopefully a significant player in the DC Universe), a couple of Bad Boys sequels, and several other projects that look very promising.

MARGOT ROBBIE as “HARLEY QUINN”

Born: July 2, 1990 in Queensland, Australia
Height: 5’6″

Personal Quote:

“Playing a bad guy is always more fun than playing the good guy!”

Acting Highlights:

Neighbours TV Series (Donna Freedman/ Donna Brown), The Wolf of Wall Street (Naomi Lapaglia), Z for Zachariah (Ann Burden), Focus (Jess), The Legend of Tarzan (Jane Clayton)

SUMMARY:

While simply being cast as Harley Quinn made her a household name, Margot Robbie delivers a wonderfully off-kilter performance as DC’s best-selling female comic book character. No doubt Robbie has a very bright future ahead of her as she was able to pull off sexy and psychotic, while also bringing substance to Quinn’s character. Her on-screen chemistry with Will Smith also leads me to believe that maybe I shouldn’t have overlooked Focus when it came to theaters last year (especially because now I can’t find it on Amazon to rent…help me Netflix!). Luckily, her other 2015 release, Z for Zachariah, is currently available on Hulu so check it out!

JARED LETO as “JOKER”

Born: December 26, 1971 in Bossier City, LA
Height: 5’9″

Did You Know:

Leto is in a band called 30 Seconds to Mars who has sold over 15 millions albums since their debut in 2002.

Acting Highlights:

My So Called Life TV Series (Jordan Catalano), Prefontaine (Steve Prefontaine), Requiem for a Dream (Harry Goldfarb), Chapter 27 (Mark David Chapman), Dallas Buyers Club (Rayon; Won Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Academy Awards)

SUMMARY:

Taking over the role of Joker only eight years after Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight had to be a daunting endeavor, even for an accomplished method actor like Jared Leto. However, Leto’s take on the iconic villain is extremely unique, leaving fans with an entirely new character to become familiar with (even if that character isn’t given a very big role in Suicide Squad, despite what fans were led to believe from the movie trailers). Evidently, Leto is extremely disappointed that most of his scenes ended up being cut, so perhaps there will be an extended Blu-ray version in the future that will give us more of the “Harley & J” show that we didn’t get enough of in the theatrical release.

JOEL KINNAMAN as “RICK FLAGG”

Born: November 25, 1979 in Stockholm, Sweden
Height: 6’3″

Personal Quote:

“Being an actor in movies is a lot about the power of your imagination and making the circumstance real to you so the audience will feel that it’s real.”

Acting Highlights:

The Killing TV Series (Stephen Holder), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Christer Malm), RoboCop (Alex Murphy), House of Cards TV Series (Will Conway)

SUMMARY:

I struggled to get on board with Kinnaman’s character at the beginning as it was hard to tell if he really wanted to be in a comic book movie. Fortunately, it appears that the infamous re-shoots that the film went through in order to help lighten the mood benefited him greatly. His on-screen chemistry with the rest of the cast was greatly enhanced by the infusion of humor, and by the time the action starts to take place, it appeared that Kinnaman was having a good time with the rest of us. Kinnaman’s acting style was ‘stiff’ in RoboCop as well, but if the guy can just learn to relax in his roles, I believe he’s got a solid Hollywood career ahead of himself.

JAY HERNANDEZ as “EL DIABLO”

Born: February 20, 1978 in Montebello, CA
Height: 5’9″

Personal Quote:

“When I first started, there was nothing. There were no Latin roles, and that’s the only thing that they’ll see you as unless you can convince them otherwise.”

Acting Highlights:

Hang Time TV Series (Antonio Lopez), Friday Night Lights (Brian Chavez), Hostel (Paxton), World Trade Center (Dominick Pezzulo), Nashville TV Series (Dante Rivas), Bad Moms (Jessie Harkness)

SUMMARY:

Hernandez owns this role. I’m not familiar with El Diablo from the comics, but even if it’s not the same version that Hernandez plays in Suicide Squad I don’t imagine it will matter to the masses. The empathy and conviction he exudes on screen makes for some scene-stealing moments and helps to occasionally ground the film in small (and I mean very small) doses of reality. Outside of his performance in Hostel, I was not familiar with Hernandez, but moving forward I will be paying close attention to his career.

 JAI COURTNEY as “BOOMERANG”

Born: March 15, 1986, Sydney, Australia
Height: 6’1″

Personal Quote:

“I was a bit of a show-off in school and loved playing dress-up, and my passion for it just grew as I got older.”

Acting Highlights:

Spartacus: War of the Damned TV Series (Varro), Jack Reacher (Charlie), A Good Day to Die Hard (Jack McClane), I, Frankenstein (Gideon), Divergent Trilogy (Eric), Terminator Genisys (Kyle Reese)

SUMMARY:

Jai Courtney has finally found the role he was always meant to play! After playing a lot of ‘zero personality’ characters in action movies, Courtney’s portrayal of Boomerang is exuberant and hilarious. Throughout the entire film Courtney appears to be having a blast being in a comic book movie, and his character helps to add some much needed levity to the DC Universe.

CARA DELAVINGNE as “ENCHANTRESS”

Born: August 12, 1992, London, England
Height: 5’8″

Personal Quote:

“When I was really small, I definitely had very strong ideas on what I wanted to wear. My favourite look was always Action Man and Spiderman.”

Acting Highlights:

The Face of an Angel (Melanie), Paper Towns (Margo), Kids in Love (Viola)

SUMMARY:

Delavingne does an okay job as the Enchantress / June Moone, though she isn’t given a lot to work with in terms of the script. It’s difficult to discuss her character without revealing any spoilers (as she has a central part in the film), so I’ll leave it alone and hope that her future roles give her a better chance to show off her acting chops.

ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE as “KILLER CROC”

Born: August 22, 1967 in London, England
Height: 6’2″

Personal Quote:

“The only way you can influence your fate is to put your soul into your performance and hope it registers with the audience.”

Acting Highlights:

Oz TV Series (Simon Adebisi), Lost TV Series (Echo), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Heavy Duty), Thor: The Dark World (Algrim / Kurse), Pompeii (Atticus), Game of Thrones TV Series (Malko), Concussion (Dave Duerson)

SUMMARY:

Akinnuoye-Agbaje has terrific presence on screen and has nailed every role I’ve ever seen him in, including his portrayal of Killer Croc. While reviewers have been critical of his makeup, it doesn’t take away from his performance at all, which is all the more testimony to his acting ability. When is Hollywood going to figure out that this guy deserves more prominent / better roles?

KAREN FUKUHARA as “KATANA”

Born: February 10, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA
Height: 5’2″

Personal Quote:

“Someone recently told me how refreshing it is to see an Asian woman as a superhero. That stuck with me. Stand up for yourself and what you love.”

Did You Know:

While attending UCLA, she continued to work on numerous shows on NHK (Japan’s national public broadcasting organization), most notably those on the Disney Channel as a member of Movie Surfers.

SUMMARY:

In her cinematic debut, Fukuhara does a solid job as Katana, though like Delavingne, was not given enough lines to truly develop her character. That’s not so much a critique on the film; just an observation (after all, there were a lot of characters to fit in). Fortunately, Fukuhara still managed to display potential, and the fact that she has a background in martial arts and did most of her own stunts for Suicide Squad is impressive.

VIOLA DAVIS as “AMANDA WALLER”

Born: August 11, 1965 in Saint Matthews, SC
Height: 5’5″

Personal Quote:

“You cannot live to please everyone else. You have to edify, educate and fulfill your own dreams and destiny.”

Acting Highlights:

City of Angels TV Series (Nurse Lynnette Peeler), Law & Order: SVU TV Series (Donna Emmett), Doubt (Mrs. Miller; Nominated Best Supporting Actress, Academy Awards), The Help (Aibileen Clark; Nominated Best Actress, Academy Awards), Ender’s Game (Major Gwen Anderson), How to Get Away with Murder TV Series (Annalise Keating; Nominated Best Actress in a TV Series, Golden Globes)

SUMMARY:

Viola Davis is a gifted actor, and while the rest of the cast was fun to watch, it was Davis who shoulders most of the true thespian work in the film. Her portrayal of Amanda Waller was perfect, and a reminder that even though we were having fun watching bad guys be the heroes, sometimes the worst human being of all is on the side you wouldn’t expect. We’ve seen the Amanda Waller character on screen before on the CW TV Series Arrow, and while that character was written to be ruthless, Davis plays it so well that you’d expect to see her image if you looked up the word on Wikipedia.